THE

RED DRAGON

The title "The Red Dragon" (Le Dragon Rouge) often refers to a famous grimoire or book of black magic, though here it introduces a folk narrative.

This took place in a village in Provence A historical province in southeastern France, eight days before the Feast of Saint John Midsummer's Eve, traditionally associated with bonfires and folk magic.

During the day, they had harvested Father Michu’s wheat, and all the farmhands, gathered in the common room, were finishing their evening meal. After a final drink of piquette original: "piquette" — a weak, tart wine made by adding water to grape pomace, the women set themselves to some sewing work, the men lit their pipes, and conversation began.

Among those present was a young boy with a naive expression and a timid air, whom the girls occasionally looked at with a smile, and who spoke only with a sort of hesitation. He showed, in a word, all the signs of a weak character and an intelligence that was, if not limited, at least underdeveloped for his age, for he was nearly twenty years old.

He was called Claude Michu; he was the farmer’s son.

It must be said, if Claude possessed none of the assurance of manhood, it was because he had always seen himself as the object of his comrades' gibes and mockery. Accustomed to serving as a target for the mockers, and full of distrust regarding his own strength, he had long ago resigned himself to this role of scapegoat original: "souffre-douleur" — literally "sufferer of pain," referring to a person who is habitually bullied that had been imposed upon him since childhood.

Furthermore, ugly, slender, and sickly as he was, he could hardly triumph over his destiny and par—